Saving Alice: A Novel

I, too, hate when endings are told on these, so I won't. I do have to respond to a post about the ending being unfeasible. When I read it--it took me just hours because I was so into it--must've cried and laughed through the entire book. At the end I was stunned--took me a couple of hours to figure out what happened and was almost disappointed. Then "dream" came to me and it all made sense and I realized that it was a feasible ending--made perfect sense and could happen to anyone anyday and fell in love with it all over again. I LOVE this book and would love to find more that are just as compelling and by a Christian author.

I've never, ever done one of these reviews - didn't feel I needed to, but it's obvious others don't see this book for what it truly is. I will not comment on events in the plot (I hate when people give too much away in these things). I will say that I believe the plot was written in a particular way to illustrate the idea that we always have a choice in the way we live life and the perspective in which we look at our circumstances. It is (in my opinion) symbolic of what every individual feels/says/wishes for at one point or another in their life: what if I had made a different choice? Think Sliding Doors (the movie). This is the first book I've ever read that I had to put down to get away from the emotions it unleashed in me. David Lewis has a way of writing about characters that makes you feel their emotions - both good and bad - in a very realistic way. This book was so amazing - I'll never forget it. I can't stop telling people how good a writer I think David Lewis is. I can't wait to see what he comes out with next.

Stephen Whitaker's family lived a "notch" up from Uglyville (the lowest notch on the ladder in Aberdeen, South Dakota) until his father's schemes landed them in Uglyville anyway. Stephen's father was a loser, and Stephen was determined that he'd never be like him in any way. Moving far away from Aberdeen and his early life seemed possible for Stephen. His college grades were good, he had a wonderful job offer in New York and had an engagement ring he would offer to the love of his life, Alice. Then a horrible accident changed everything. Alice was lost to Stephen and he was forced to live life without her physically--and he couldn't give her up emotionally. He married his best friend Donna (who was also Alice's best friend), stayed in Aberdeen to go into business with his high school buddy Larry and raise his precocious daughter Alycia. Stephen seemed to have his life under control, until it wasn't. And then his business, his marriage, his relationship with Alycia and God began a downward spiral that could mean the loss of everything important in his life. But a series of dreams could mean a second chance, if he listens to God speaking to him. So many Christians fall into the great abyss of believing that because of their faith, they are immune to temptations and poor choices. And when they falter, they beat themselves up because they believe they should "know better or do better." Grace and forgiveness is often forgotten. And grace and forgiveness in the form of second chances is what David Lewis delivers in his novel Saving Alice. The novel is hard hitting, occasionally dark and troubling. It is a marriage of the sweet relationship between a father and daughter and the dark side of that relationship and others when the road traveled is one without faith. To fully enjoy the unusual road back to faith, one must accept that it can come in any form God chooses. Don't question it, just accept because all things are possible with God. Armchair Interviews says: Read Saving Alice with an eye on your own life and the choices made. The lesson is, it's never too late for God to work in His children's lives.